By Emily Enfinger | The Selma Times-Journal

Free parenting classes for Selma and Dallas County parents will be available this week, teaching how to deal with problem behaviors in children.

The program, “Whole Parent,” is hosted by The Dallas County Family Resource Center and Alabama’s Children’s Trust Fund.

“We know kids aren’t always behaving that we would like them to and parents often don’t know how to deal with their children’s behavior. This ends up causing for more stress for the parent and it stresses the relationship with the children,” said James Thomas, Family Resource Center executive director. “These are the times that parents can make mistakes.”

Program sessions will be held Wednesday, Feb. 24, and Thursday, Feb. 25, from 5:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. and taught by the Alabama Extension Services.

Thomas said the family resource center has offered several parenting programs in the past and continues the program as an ongoing series.

This week’s topic is called, “Empowering Parents.”

The program will begin with Wednesday’s session and will conclude on Thursday.

“What we want to do is give parents the skills and the ability to handle the problem behavior in a healthy way,” Thomas said. “So it can bring them closer and improve their relationship.”

He said several parents have shared they have been able to successfully use learned methods of dealing with their children’s behavior.

The family resource center is a nonprofit organization with a mission to help better the community through referral services and providing programs designed to fit the needs of the community. Some programs and services offered include financial literacy classes, counseling services, emergency financial services and more.

“We want to openly invite any parent that would like to come to our classes,” Thomas said.

For more information about the class, call the Family Resource Center at (334) 874-7785.